Totally Tough Enough
by Megafighter3
Summary: 22 trainees at a run-down "camp" in the middle of Muskoka are looking to achieve their dream of becoming professional wrestlers. Who will make their way to the top? Who will look up at the lights? Find out on Totally Tough Enough! AU of Total Drama Island.
1. Episode 1: Hitting the Ropes

The camera turns on to show the viewing audience a small arena filled with empty chairs and a small ring with minimal padding, loose ropes and actually halfway decent aprons. The aprons had a logo of a golden championship belt with the letters "TTE" emblazoned on the plate. Standing in the center of the ring was Chris McLean, a former Canadian journeyman wrestler and ring announcer, holding a microphone and waiting for his cue. "Yo! We're coming at you LIVE from Camp McLean! The most prestigious wrestling camp in Muskoka, Ontario!" Chris began with enthusiastic grin. "I'm your host, Chris McLean! Elbow dropping season 1 of the hottest new reality show on television, right now!"

Chris took a walk around the ring as he talked for this next part. "Here's the deal: 22 teenagers have signed up to spend eight weeks right here in this very ring!" He explained, outstretching his arm to allow the camera man to zoom out and show the crappy ring once more. "They're they'll be competing in challenges to help them learn the skills needed to be a professional wrestler. Every three days, one team will either win a reward or watch a team mate go back up the ramp, turning in their championship belt," Chris continued, holding up a plastic toy wrestling belt with TTE written on the plate in Sharpie. "...Travel expenses took a toll on the budget. Anyway, losers are decided by their efforts, or lack thereof, in the challenges. Should there be more than one to be considered worthy of elimination, those involved will be made to wrestle, with the loser of the fall being eliminated. Of course, this will not always be the case and will vary based on the challenges. In the end, only one will be left standing and will be reward with $100,000 and a one-year contract to any wrestling promotion of their choosing. To survive, they'll have to learn all the holds, suplexes, high-flying aerial stunts, cheap pops and underhanded politicking they can to become a pro wrestler. Every moment will be caught on one of the hundreds of cameras situated all over the camp. Who will tap out to the pressure? Find out here, right now! On Totally... Tough... Enough!" Chris shouted, arms raised in the air as the show cut to the intro.

The show returned to Chris in the ring, mic still in hand. "Welcome back to Totally Tough Enough. Alright, it's time to meet our first eleven trainees," Chris said as a young woman with brown hair tied in a ponytail and black eyes ran down the ramp, rolling into the ring to excitedly hug Chris. "Beth! What's up?" Chris asked as Beth let go. "It's so incredulous to meet you! Wow, you're much shorter in real life.." she observed. Chris chuckled. "Seeing me from a crowd of 500 does add a few inches to my impressive frame," the host said with a smirk, eliciting a laugh from Beth as the next contestant stepped down the ramp. "DJ!" Chris said enthusiastically to the young, well-built Jamaican man entering the ring. "Yo! Chris McLean! How's it going?" DJ replied, giving Chris a high-five after setting down his bags. "I saw your first championship win when I was a kid! That was tight!" he said, Chris smiling. "Yeah, the Newfoundland Pro King of the Isles Tournament. Good times... hey Gwen!" Chris said, breaking away from his reminiscing to greet the third contestant, a pale girl with jet black hair adorned with teal streaks and black eyes. "We're training here?" She asked, the host giving a nod. "Consider yourselves lucky. Some guys got into the business training in church basements with rings pressed up against the walls," he said as contestant #4 rolled into the ring, a man with long blonde hair under a cowboy hat and blue eyes who immediately fist-bumped Chris, DJ and Beth. He went to give one to Gwen, who simply turned away.

"Welcome to the ring, Geoff!"Chris said as another contestant pushed down the ropes, letting herself in. "Everyone, this is Lindsay!" the host said to introduced a woman who had the boys' jaws on the floor. Flowing blonde hair, light blue eyes and curves in all the right places. Chis pulled the camera man aside, whispering "Not too shabby" before being greeted by Lindsay. "Hiiii! You look so familiar..." she began, letting the thought linger in the air. "I'm Chris McLean..." he introduced, getting only blank stares. "The host of the show..." he explained, Lindsay smiling and nodding as she finally seemed to get it. The next contestant to enter was a woman with long black hair wearing reflective shades. She took of her glasses to reveal steel gray eyes as Chris introduced her as Heather. Beth immediately went and hugged her. "Hi! Looks like we're you're friends for the next eight weeks!" Beth declared, letting out spittle with almost every word. As Heather struggled to break Beth's hold on her, a young man with black eyes and a green Mohawk entered the ring. Beth quickly let go, hiding behind Heather as Chris introduced the contestants to Duncan, who simply cracked his neck and took a corner to himself, the rest keeping their distance as the next contestant rushed down the ring in his jogging suit and sweatband. He attempted to go over the top rope entering the ring, but tripped on the second rope and fell, causing the rest of the contestants to laugh. "Ladies and gentleman... it's Tyler..." Chris announced, completely thrown off by someone so stupid as to attempt to jump over the top rope on his first day of actual wrestling training. The brown-haired man did a quick thumbs up to try and signify that he was good, but no one bought it as Lindsay went to help him up.

The next contestant entered, a young man with auburn hair and black eyes hidden under green-tinted glasses. "Welcome to the ring, Harold," Chris said to introduce him as he surveyed the area. "Ropes are loose, the board is lightly padded and your announce table looks like it was bought at the cheapest hardware store..." he observed, Chris nodding with pride at his accomplishment in budgetary responsibility. "Excellent. This is much more favorable to my skills," Harold said as he joined the other trainees. "Contestant #10 is Trent!" Chris said as a young man with long black hair and light green eyes carrying a guitar case strapped to his back set down the case and entered the ring.

"Hey, good to meet you, man! Saw you at the show at that ice rink in Winnipeg! You killed it out there!" Trent said as he picked up his case. "Thanks man! I knew I rocked that show!" Chris replied, overjoyed at the ego-stroking he was getting. "I saw that! One of the wrestlers got dropped on his head! Is he alright?" Beth asked, concerned for their well-being. "You're talking about Eddie Harper, right? No, he got a bad concussion from that and needed to pulled from future shows. That's the risk you all run in training, so if any of you are thinking that wrestling's fake, trust me. You can't fake pain when you feel it," the host warned as Trent took his spot, joined by Bridgette, a blonde girl with olive green eyes who gave a wave to her fellow competitors, fist-bumped Geoff and sat down cross-legged in the ring. Following her was Noah, a tanned young man with dark brown hair and eyes who didn't even make the effort to greet anyone as he sat down, book in hand.

"What's up, y'all? LeShawna's in the house!" came the boisterous cry of the next contestant, a dark-skinned woman with long black hair and brown eyes, giving a high-five to Chris. "Feel free to quit now and save yourselves the trouble, because I came to win!" she declared as she took her spot, giving high-fives to people as Harold walked over to her. "I've never seen a girl like you in real life before," he said, LeShawna unsure of how to take that. "Excuse me?" she asked, Harold elaborating. "You're real big... and loud," he explained, making the appropriate hand gestures. LeShawna cracked her knuckles, ready to pound Harold's face into the mat before being held back by Bridgette and DJ, Harold backing away and accidentally backing into Duncan, who got up from his corner. "Oh! You wanna die first, Mr. Big Mouth? I'll be happy to oblige!" He barked at Harold, lining up to punch him when he was held back by Geoff and Trent, Harold now stuck between two angry contestants wanting his head as the next two contestants entered, both wearing the same outfits and hairstyles, but different in appearance. Katie was dark-skinned and skinny while her friend Sadie was far paler and more heavyset, but both looked around and squealed with joy at the prospect of being at wrestling school, not even registering just how poorly put together it was.

Next was a pale boy with brown hair barely covered by his toque and gray eyes entering the ring. "Ezekiel! What's up, man?" Chris asked, Ezekiel looking up and soon answering. "About 200 lights put on the ceiling," he said, Chris attempting to give him some life advice to help the Prairie-raised homeschooler in the game for a bit longer. Whether or not it registered was anyone's guess.

Next was a boy with matted brown hair and teal eyes, introduced as Cody. "I see the ladies have already arrived. Alright!" he said with all the confidence in the world and an absolute lack of smoothness as he strutted to his spot, he tried to say something to LeShawna, only for Harold to pull him aside. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said, Cody chuckling a bit. "Heh, the Codemaster's gonna have to teach you the tricks sometime soon, my friend. Just roll with me and the ladies will be all over you," Cody replied, running a hand through his hair. His first test of his so called skills came when a muscular woman with black hair tied in a ponytail arrived, introduced as Eva. He stepped up to try and greet her, only for to get an elbow to the chin for his troubles, leaving him knocked out on the floor. Harold sheepishly grinned and moved Cody's unconscious body aside for her to take her spot as the next contestant came down the ramp.

"WOOHOO! Chris! What's happening?! Ahahahaha! This is awesome!" the rotund man with blonde hair and black eyes shouted, taking out Chris' ears. "Owen! Welcome!" he shouted back, more hoping to hear his own voice as Owen bearhuggeed him. Owen eventually let go as the next contestant gingerly stepped into the ring. A brown-haired girl with tanned skin and black eyes came in, Owen dropping Chris and giving her a big hug. "Ladies and gentlemen... this is Courtney..." Chris said with labored breaths. "How's it goin'?! I'm Owen!" Owen said with his continued enthusiasm. "I'd be better... if you would let... me go..." Courtney gasped out. Owen let go, turning apologetic as the next entrant arrived, a tanned Adonis with flowing brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. The assembled crowd looked on in awe at his perfect body.

"This is Justin. Welcome to Totally Tough Enough," Chris said, finally breathing right. "Just so you know, we picked based entirely on your looks," he admitted, Justin simply nodding and taking his spot. The finally contestant was Izzy, a girl with wild orange hair and leaf green who made a mad dash for the ring, leaping over the top rope excitedly. "Alright, everyone in position. We need a big group shot for promotional purposes and we'll be underway," Chris said as he pulled out a camera and rolled out of the ring. Everyone got in the center of the ring, placing themselves in various poses as Chris took pictures, the ring starting to creak and crack before collapsing under the weight of the trainees. "Alright! No serious injuries from the looks of things. We'll need you guys on the stage and away from the ramp as we get to work fixing up the ring," the host said before turning to the cameraman. "And you folks at home will be waiting at your seats watching commercials when we get back to Totally Tough Enough," Chris finished as the show cut to commercial.

The return from commercial showed the assembled trainees sitting in chairs in the arena surrounding the ring, Chris standing the in the center of the ring with a mic in hand., twenty-two toy belts strewn across the mat, wrapped in green and red shirts. "This is Camp McLean, your home for the next eight weeks. The trainees sitting around you will be your training partners, your competition and maybe even your friends. Ya dig? The trainee who manages to stay in the camp the longest without getting eliminated will win 100 grand and contract to work for any promotion of their choosing for one year," Chris explained, Duncan speaking up. "Excuse me, what will the sleeping arrangements be? Because I'd like to request a bunk under her," he said, pointing a thumb to Heather, who had a mortified expression at the thought of even being within legal range of the delinquent. "Nice try, Duncan. But it's four sets of dorms in the stadium. Two sets for boys and two sets for girls," Chris continued, Courtney raising her hand. "Courtney, the floor is yours."

"Why is it four sets of dorms and not two?" she asked, Chris nodding. "An excellent question and the answer is that there will be two teams and thus, both teams get two sets of dorms each one in opposite corners to prevent potential sabotage. When I call your name, you'll get a shirt and a belt. Gwen," he started, throwing her a green shirt. Gwen grabbed it, unwrapping her cheap toy belt with Sharpie letters. Similar shirts were thrown to Trent, Heather, Cody, Lindsay, Beth, Katie, Owen, LeShawna, Justin and Noah. "From this moment on, you are official known as The Grapplers," Chris announced. Katie was about to ask what would happen to Sadie when Chris grabbed a red shirt. "Geoff," he said throwing shirts to him, Bridgette, DJ, Tyler, Sadie, Izzy, Courtney, Ezekiel, Duncan, Eva and Harold. "But Katie's a Grappler! I have to be a Grappler!" Sadie cried out, Courtney attempting to console her, the two friends giving a tearful goodbye as Chris announced the red-shirted team's name. "You guys will officially be known as the Brawlers. Alright, trainees. You and your team will be on camera in all public areas during this competition. You will also be able to share your innermost thoughts with video diaries any time you want in the Gorilla Position. Let the audience at home know what you're really thinking, or just get something off your chest. Any questions?" Chris asked, receiving silence. "Cool! All male Grapplers head to northeast dorm, ladies will go southeast. Brawlers, same directions for the west. You got thirty minutes to unpack and meet me in the ring. Let's move out!" He said, dropping the mic as the groups put on their shirts and headed off, the show cutting to commercial.

The return to commercial saw the trainees returning to the arena to see Chris standing in the ring with a towering, muscular bald dark-skinned man with black eyes behind him. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is 'The Hatchet' Osiris Simmons. A former territorial wrestler from the golden days, the wear and tear of this little thing we call sports entertainment caught up with him, now he works as a road agent for smaller indy companies and does special guest appearances. But now you will know him officially as your coach, as he will teaching you the ropes and introducing you to the challenges you will face every three days. Take it away, Hatchet!" Chris said, handing Osiris the microphone before walking over a corner and leaning back.

"The top rope move is a maneuver with a long history. Originally, many who did it would be disqualified but over time, more wrestlers began incorporating the moves as finishers and whole styles were created based off the acrobatics necessary to pull it off. And that is your challenge," Osiris said, pulling out a small dummy made of burlap and stuffed with cotton and dumping into the middle of the ring. "You will all jump off the top rope and hit the practice dummy. Basic moves such as the body splash, moonsault and elbow drop get your team 1 point. More creative endeavors such as adding rotations, will net you two points. Refusal to jump or failure to hit the dummy means no points and will qualify you for elimination should your team lose. The team with the most points wins the challenge. You! Low Tide!" Osiris shouted, pointing to Bridgette. "You're first up!" The Hatchet called as the show came to a close, cutting to credits.


	2. Episode 2: Hitting the Ropes, Part 2

The next episode began with Bridgette climbing up the turnbuckle carefully, feeling that the ropes were a lot tighter since her initial climb into the ring. She took in a deep breath and did a quick moonsault, successfully landing on the dummy and earning a point for the Brawlers. Tyler quickly rushed up the top turnbuckle, inspired by his teammates early success to attempt a moonsault of his own, only to somehow put himself into the Tree of Woe position, tying his own feet into the ropes. Osiris pulled him out of the ropes as Geoff, Eva and Duncan pulled off a succession of elbow drops, more than making up for Tyler's terrible top-rope try-out.

DJ at first was hesitant to climb, heading for the ropes to leave the ring. "I... I can't do it..." DJ said, defeated. Harold walked over to him, patting the big guy on the shoulder. "What's wrong, man?" he asked, DJ turning to him. "I'm scared of heights. Have been since I was a kid," DJ explained, Harold chuckling a bit. "A big guy like you? Afraid of heights?" he joked, DJ turning angrily at him. "Don't joke about that, man! I fell out of a tree when I was seven! I can't do anything like that again!" DJ said, Harold trying to calm him down. "Hey hey, chill man. I wasn't trying to make fun you, but you gotta learn to face your fears. You're not the same guy you were at seven. Besides, it's not like they're making us jump into shark-infested waters or something. It's just a few feet off some rope onto a dummy," he replied in a reassuring tone. DJ smiled and walked over to the rope, making his way up and jumping down, landing the elbow drop to the delight of his team and a nod of approval from Harold.

*Gorilla Confessional: DJ*

Man, it was tight of Harold to do that. I tell ya, when I got up on that turnbuckle, I felt all my fear just slip away. It felt good to make that jump.

*Gorilla Confessional: Harold*

Sometimes you gotta lend a hand to your teammates. If DJ didn't make that jump, the Brawlers would be two points shy and we'd be at a huge disadvantage.

*Arena Cam*

Ezekiel was the next to jump, managing to land an elbow drop. Harold followed him, managing to pull off a solid moonsault, with Courtney following suit with her own moonsault, putting the Brawlers at eight points. However, Sadie refused to jump. "I'm not jumping without Katie!" she shouted, standing indignantly in the middle of the ring, Katie jumping in to join her friend. "We have to be on the same team, Chris! We have a double team move for this challenge and everything!" Katie cried, the two running up an pleading to Chris. "I'll switch places with Katie," Izzy offered, the two friends still begging to Chris, who quickly facepalmed. "Alight! We'll do a team switch! Izzy, Katie. You two switch shirts," he said, the two teens doing that as Sadie got herself up on the turnbuckle, soon joined by Katie grabbing her hands and being lifted onto her shoulders. The two did a 3-2-1 as Sadie jumped, tossing Katie into the air. While Sadie managed to land a senton, Katie was overshot and flew out of the ring, the rest of the Brawlers managing to catch her.

"Alright, looks like that's 9 points total for the Brawlers! Grapplers, who's going first?" Chris asked, Heather being first to go. "Alright, dweeb patrol, let me show you how a real moonsault's done," she said, directing her attention and Courtney and Harold as she climbed up, dove off the ropes and landed a successful moonsault, taking a bow afterwards. Leshawna was quickly to follow up with a senton, then Lindsay with a moonsault, Gwen and Cody hitting elbow drops and Izzy attempting a corkscrew shooting star press, managing to land it beautifully and earning two points, putting the team at 7. However, Justin's attempt at an elbow drop missed and Beth opted out, not feeling confident in her abilities just yet to pull it off, something Heather and Lindsay were quick to deride her for.

Trent managed to land an elbow drop, putting the team at eight points. "You know, this looks fun and all, but I think the opes are a bit loose from all the others. I think I'll sit this one out," Noah said, climbing out and leaving Owen the only one not to jump. The other Grapplers glared at Noah as he walked up the ramp, but Heather felt a bulb flash in her mind. Before Owen could jump, she stepped into the ring, drawing him in and whispering something into his ear. "Really? You sure is will get us two points?" Owen asked, Heather nodding. "Trust me, Owen. We could get five points if you pull this off," she said with a confidence smirk, turning to Chris and Osiris. "You two may want to clear the ring for this," she warned as she climbed through the ropes.

*Gorilla Confessional: Owen*

I thought that I would just do an elbow drop and go for the tie since I'm not the most acrobatic guy in the world, but Heather gave me a great idea and I just went right for it!

*Gorilla Confessional: Geoff*

I'm looking at this guy and thinking "There's no way he's gonna land on the dummy. He's gonna fall right on his ass!"

*Gorilla Confessional: Gwen*

I actually thought that if he jumps... we're all gonna die.

*Arena Cam*

Owen climbed up the turnbuckle, stopping at the second ope and shaking himself a bit in preparation. Whether the ring rope was loose before was no longer a concern as Owen's weight started to jostle the entire ring. Chris and Osiris quickly bolted from the ring, now taking Heather's warning into consideration as Owen did a massive downward splash that sent the entire ring crashing around Owen. The rest of the Grapplers went to pull Owen out of the heap as Chris made the announcement. "Your winners, with a perfect 10 points, the Grapplers!" he shouted as Owen got to his feet, raising his arm in victory as the rest of the Grapplers held him up, cheering for Owen as the show went to commercial.

The show came back from commercial in Grappler Girl's Dorms, where Heather was writing in a notebook Lindsay walking over to her bed. "Hey Heather! Whatcha doin'?" she asked, Heather not looking away from her notebook. "Team assessment. I'm writing down some basic summaries on all of our teammates so I know who to keep on my side before the teams split," Heather explained, Lindsay responding with a prolonged "Ohhhhhhh" before asking another question. "So, how does that work? Who goes where?" she asked, attempting to look in the notebook only to find it shut. "Well, Weird Goth Girl and Ghetto Trash are good, but not yet established threats," Heather began, referring to Gwen and Leshawna. "Trent is safe, Cody's a freak but he's also average, Justin's... well..." Heather stopped herself mid-sentence to let out a sigh, Lindsay joining her in swooning over the hottest guy in the camp. Heather returned to her notes. "Izzy's the biggest threat since she's completely insane and can back up that insanity with talent, Beth is worthless, Noah's a flake but his little ropes comment helped us secure the win and Owen's a tank, but also soft-headed so he's not much of a threat," she continued, Lindsay nodding and taking it in. "Wait, what about me?"

"What about you, Lindsay? You're my friend," heather said, Lindsay excitedly hugging her. While Heather was taken aback by this display of affection, she calmly returned it, carefully writing out a note in her book "Lindsay: Useful. Dispose once her use wears out" before turning back to Lindsay. "Come on, let's head to catering. After that challenge, I'm a bit hungry. How about you?" Heather asked, her "friend" who nodded and let her go, running for catering.

The camera cut to catering, where the teams sat at tables colored to match their shirts. The Grappler table was still basking in the celebration of winning the first victory, with Owen getting a lion's share of the food as a gift for netting them the win. The Brawler table was a bit more downtrodden, with Courtney clearing her throat before standing up to speak. "Okay, Brawlers. I know the mood after the challenge has been, down. But let's not go and think that it's gonna be all failure from here. We all did our best out there and some of you should be commended for your efforts," she said, trying to bring morale for her team back up. The group responded rather positively to it, though Duncan simply finished his meal and walked off. "I'm going to bed. You losers enjoy you loser party," he said, Courtney sighing as the crowd was brought back down. "Well, I just don't get why we lost, eh. They're the ones that have six girls," Ezekiel said, sending the entire room into stunned silence. Bridgette and Eva got right in Ezekiel's face. "What's that supposed to mean?" Bridgette asked. "Yeah, Homeschool. Enlighten us!" Eva demanded, slamming her fist onto the table.

"Well, guys are much stronger and better at sports than girls are," Zeke replied with an oblivious grin. The rest of the contestants were in complete shock at his completely backwards comments, but he just kept digging a hole with his next declaration. "My dad told me to look out for the girls here, eh. And help them in case they can't keep up," he said, at which point Eva had enough, grabbing him by the throat. "Still think we need your help keeping up?" She asked, tightening her grip on his neck. "Not... really..." he gasped out as Geoff quickly intervened. "Okay, guys. Let's give him a break. I mean, at least he doesn't think that guys are smarter than girls," Geoff said as Eva dropped Zeke, hoping to diffuse the situation. "But, they are..." Ezekiel replied, the show cutting to commercial before the audience could see the consequences of that statement.

The return saw the Brawlers standing in the ring, Duncan taking his corner away from the others. Chris stood before the team in a referee shirt, brandishing a microphone. "Brawlers, welcome back to the ring. It is time for the first elimination ceremony. When I call your name, you will leave the ring. Anyone left in the ring will be wrestling tonight as they were put on the chopping block. The winner gets to stay in the competition. The loser hands in their shirt and belt then they will walk up the ramp, where a bus is waiting to take them home," Chris explained, pulling a sheet of paper. "Geoff, please take a step out of the ring," he said, Geoff smiling in relief and climbing out of the ring. Ezekiel was the next one out, much to the annoyances of the girls. Courtney, Bridgette, DJ, Harold, Sadie and Duncan were soon called, all of them exiting the ring, leaving Tyler and Katie still standing.

"Katie, now while I didn't call your name, I am gonna give you a choice. You don't have to compete tonight since your failure in the challenge was not your fault, it was Sadie's for throwing you out the ring. But it's up to you. Do you want to wrestle to keep your spot or simply step out and join your teammates on the winning side?" he asked, Katie looking at the others outside, especially Sadie, telling her to join them. She then looked to Tyler, who was shaking his head rapidly. "I'll do it. I'll wrestle the match," she answered, Sadie letting out a cry of "NOOOOOOOO!" having to be held back from storming the ring.

"My fault or not, I'm still on the chopping block for a reason: I failed the challenge. I have to face the consequences if I'm not gonna be able to help my team properly. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to Tyler to just have him walk without a fair shot at keeping his spot," she explained, Chris nodding. "How very honorable. Let's hope it doesn't cost ya. Ring the bell, Hatchet!" Chris ordered as he tossed the mic out of the ring. The bell rang once the two took their corners, Tyler charging straight at Katie only for her to quickly sidestep him as he slammed into the ringpost. Katie quickly rolled him up, Chris slapping his hand to the mat. "1...2...3!" he called, signaling for the bell. "The winner... Katie!" Chris declared as Katie ran out of the ring, hugging Sadie and cheering her victory while Chris helped Tyler to his feet.

"Can't say I'm shocked. I've never seen a dude put himself into the Tree of Woe before like that," Chris said as Tyler handed Chris his belt, taking of his red Brawler shirt and tossing it to him before exiting the ring and heading up the ramp. "The rest of you, shine up your belts real nice, you're all safe... for now," Chris said rather ominously as the team headed off back to their dorms. Chris turned to the camera. "And to the millions... and millions! Watching at home, we will see you next time on Totally Tough Enough!" Chris declared as the camera cut out, ending the episode.


	3. Episode 3: The Big Sleep

The show opens once again to Chris in the ring, mic in hand. "Last time on Totally Tough Enough!" He declared as appropriate clips were displayed on screen. "22 trainees arrived and learned they'll be spending eight weeks here at Camp McLean. The trainees were faced with their first challenge, the top-rope challenge. And while some campers took the dive, some chose to walk away. However, their team got the win so they were safe from elimination. Not so fortunate were Tyler and Katie, who had missed their target. Though Katie got a quick win and Tyler was the first one sent packing. However, things do not bode well for Ezekiel, who managed to tick off every female trainee with his sexist comments about women. Will he be able to make it to the next challenge in one piece? Will the Brawlers get their first victory or will the Grapplers stand triumphant again? Find out tonight on Totally... Tough... Enough!" Chris shouted as the show went to intro.

The show returned to Chris in the PA room, turning on the speakers and pulling out an air horn. After putting on protective earmuffs, he blew the air horn into the microphone, waking up the entire camp. "All trainees report to the gym, you have until 7:00 to get there. Repeat, all trainees in the gym at seven," Chris announced, shutting off the PA system and getting up. The camera cut to the gym and a line of 21 treadmills as the trainees gathered, Ezekiel doing his best to keep his distance from the female trainees, which Courtney was quick to pick up on.

*Gorilla Confessional: Courtney*

Okay, so I had some time to sleep on it... not a lot thanks to Chris, but enough to get my bearings straight and I don't think Ezekiel's nearly as bad as the other girls do. I know what he said was wrong, but I do wanna try and see if he knows. I didn't become a CIT just to brag about it.

*Gym Cam*

"Morning, hope you all slept well," Chris said to a mostly-exhausted group, whistle around his neck. "Hi, Chris. You look really buff in those shorts," Heather said, giving a rare compliment that probably had ulterior motives. "I know," Chris said with a wink. "Okay, I hope you're all ready because you're next challenge is a doozy. You've all been getting in some good workouts and Hatchet's reports show you're getting the basics down, which is great. But today you're not doing anything but clocking in a 20 kilometer run on these treadmills," Chris started. "But we haven't even had breakfast yet," Owen whined, a complaint that no doubt everyone was thinking just as the big guy said it. "Oh no, no breakfast yet. You gotta work for it this time," Chris retorted, Eva cracking her neck as she went to pound Chris' face in, only to be held back by Geoff and Duncan. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?!" she shouted angrily as she tried to fight them off. "A little," he replied with a smirk. "Now get to your treadmills or there's no breakfast," he said, blowing the whistle.

The trainees took to getting themselves ready to run as Courtney walked over to Ezekiel, who was tightening up his boot laces. "Hey, Ezekiel. Mind if we talk for a bit?" she asked, Ezekiel looking up and seeing the CIT in front of him. He gulped, assuming the worst as Courtney sat down on the opposite treadmill. "Don't worry, I'm not here to yell at you," Courtney said, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Y-you're not?" he asked nervously, Courtney shaking her head as he sighed in relief. "Like I said, I just wanna talk. Look, what you said after the top-rope challenge was really hurtful and... I think you realize that, even if you don't know it yet," she began, giving Ezekiel an opportunity to speak. "But, my dad said-" he began, Courtney clearing her throat.

"Sorry, I don't want to cut you off but that's the thing. Your dad isn't right, at least not in this case. Think about it this way, Eva is probably the strongest person here. I think the only who can match her is maybe DJ. And Tyler was the worst contestant so far," she said, Ezekiel nodding in understanding. "So, while I was offended, I'm willing to give you another chance to work with us and not just throw you to the wolves. We are a team after all, what do you say?" The young CIT asked, offering a hand. Ezekiel sat there a bit, thinking it over before taking her hand. "I'm sorry," he said, Courtney smiling and shaking his hand. "Apology accepted," she said, standing back up. "Now, we got 20 kilos to run and we're not gonna get that done by just sitting on our butts. How about it, partner?" She asked, Ezekiel giving off a quick salute and a "Yes Ma'am!" before getting on his treadmill.

*Gorilla Confessional: Ezekiel*

Wow, that was really nice of Courtney to say... it really put a lot of things into perspective for me, eh. That's it, today I'm gonna make sure I apologize to every girl at this camp. If I get eliminated, I wanna make sure I don't leave any bridges burnt.

*Gorilla Confessional: Courtney*

I am a CIT. It is my duty to spend time with my teammates and learn their personality and try to help people. I'd like to think I did that with Ezekiel and that he'll be a far greater asset to us if he's a team player. It's just all in a day's work.

*Gym Cam*

The treadmills soon whirred to life as the trainees began their run, some managing to keep themselves at a steady pace, some running too early and burning out and others nearly falling off their treadmill. As Heather walked, she thought over who she could have align with her. She already had Lindsay, who was at least physically capable if a bit brainless, but she needed someone else. She looked at the rest of her team, Gwen and Leshawna were out of the question, as she hated them both and the feeling was more than mutual. Izzy was too much of a loose cannon for her to reign in and Noah would catch wise to her manipulation. Trent had a go-with-the-flow attitude that made him good to take orders, Owen could be bribed with food and while he skeeved her out, Cody was worth looking into. That left Heather with Beth, who had chickened out on the first challenge and was at the bottom of the barrel, but was currently one of the few people who wasn't wiped out from the treadmill run, so she had some decent cardio.

*Gorilla Confessional: Heather*

Okay, so Beth's not an ideal lackey, but I am one who enjoys a challenge. A few weeks of hard times will turn her around into something useful.

*Gym Cam*

The treadmills soon shut off and the trainees stepped down, Chris nodding. "Alright, you all can head to catering. We got a few surprises for you there," he said as he walked off, Harold letting out a few gasps as he clutched his chest. "I think I'm having heart palpitations!" he muttered as Bridgette went to help him with his chest pains, Ezekiel meeting up with them in the hopes of getting to apologize to Bridgette. The camera cut to catering, all 21 trainees assembled at their assigned tables. Some were able to talk though others had fallen asleep at their seat, Ezekiel was talking with Katie and Sadie, apologizing to them. The BFFs talked it over before accepting his apology. Ezekiel smiled, with them, that was four. Now he just needed to apologize to Eva and the six girls in the Grappler team.

Chris walked in with two covered tables behind him, blowing his whistle again to get the camp's attention. "Alright, trainees. That was a good run today, but we aren't done yet. We have two pieces of business to attend to," he began, grabbing at the cloth of the rightmost table. "Ratings came in on the first episode and were really good. So good that we got some ad revenue and were able to order these babies," Chris explained as he pulled away the sheet, revealing a set of 21 gold plated wrestling belts with the TTE logo engraved into them. As the trainees turned in their toy belts for actual gold, Chris grabbed the left sheet. "And once everyone's got their belts, you can all eat up!" he exclaimed, uncovering the other table to reveal it to be covered in a smorgasbord of delicious food. One could see Owen's eyes and mouth watering at the buffet before them.

The camera cut to after the meal being devoured, the trainees resting in their chairs, bellies full and hunger sated as Chris called them to the arena. The trainees headed off, Ezekiel walking over to Eva, who simply gave him a threatening glare. Zeke backed away, Courtney sighing at the sight of this. Eva was not letting this go and it could potentially hurt the team in the long run. But, the trainees made it to the ring, Chris and Osiris standing there. "Alright, trainees. It is time... for... The Awake-A-Thon!" Chris shouted, much to the confusion of the assembled teenagers. "The A-What-A-Thon?" Owen asked as Chris turned the mic over to the Hatchet. "Wrestling is a taxing career, especially for young upstarts. You spend many years traveling the road in a beat up car that you have to sleep in, scraping by for gas and cheap fast food for sustenance. The challenge of the Awake-A-Thon is to be the last one standing and not fall asleep. The last one standing wins the challenge for team and the first to fall for their team will be sent home," Osiris explained. "So, what you're saying is the 20k run and the feeding frenzy were part of your evil plan to make it harder for us to stay awake?" Gwen asked, Osiris nodding. "You've got that right, Liquid Paper!" he exclaimed, Gwen crossing her arms. "Man, they're good..." she said, begrudgingly respecting their cunning. "Everyone find a spot in the arena seats!" the Hatchet ordered, Trent walking over to Gwen as they looked. "So, how long do you think it will be before everyone's out cold?" he asked, Gwen rubbing her chin in thought. "About an hour, give or take," she guessed as Owen passed by them with drool hanging from his mouth. "Maybe less," Gwen joked as the camera cut to an arena with everyone seated in steel folding chairs.

"We are now 12 hours in with all 21 trainees still awake," Chris said at the announce table, camera panning over to the trainees, yawning and eyes glazed over. Their eyes soon shot open upon hearing a loud crashing sound, turning to see the source was Owen, who passed out in his chair and and had taken several folding chairs with him.

*Gorilla Confessional: Gwen*

The Awake-A-Thon was definitely the most brutal thing I've ever done in my life.

*Arena Cam*

"This is the most boring thing I've ever done in my life," Gwen said between yawns. "Could be way worse," Trent replied groggily. "Oh yeah? How?" Gwen asked. "I could be stuck here without you to talk to," he answered, eliciting a smile from Gwen. Less charmed was Heather, who pulled out her notebook and changed Trent's status to "Trent: Potential Enemy" before walking over to Lindsay and Beth, who were currently upside down in an effort to get the blood rushing to their heads. "Lindsay, Beth. Can I talk to you guys for a minute?" Heather asked, the two rolling themselves upright. "Sure, Heather. What's up?" Lindsay asked naturally, Beth was a bit more nervous about speaking to Heather, who had yet to show any real signs of friendliness to her. Lindsay gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Beth. We were talking about you during breakfast. That's why you wanted to talk with us, right Heather?" Lindsay asked, Heather nodding and smiling.

"Mhm. You know how it goes in wrestling, the best players form a stable. The Horsemen, the nWo, Evolution, I could go on. And that's what I'm looking to do. I want you two to join me in my little group and I'll take you to the final three. Heck, we get enough players in this and we'll dominate the games until it's just us left," Heather said, Beth still unsure if she belonged in this. "But why me? I balked on the top-rope challenge," she said, looking down at the floor. "Yes, you did. But you were nervous about jumping and I don't blame you for that. It was your first time and everyone gets scared. Even I was scared of jumping," Heather said in a reassuring tone, Beth looking up. "Really?" she asked, Heather nodding. "Besides, you're already doing better than that big lug Owen in staying up so I have faith in your abilities," Heather continued, pulling a pair of yellow armbands from her bag. "I whipped up these babies last night," she explained, putting on the band to reveal a large "H" in black letters. "You put these on and you officially join the Hive," Heather said, holding two bands that they excitedly reached for, only for Heather to pull away.

"But, there needs to be some rules understood. #1: I am the Queen Bee and you do everything the Queen Bee says. #2: Everything you do has to be done in service of the Hive, whether it's protecting me, yourself or your allies. #3: Until the merger, you are not to ally yourself with any Brawlers. #4: If I declare someone an enemy of the Hive, you are to not associate with them under any circumstances. #5: The Queen Bee does not suffer fools gladly. You pull your weight in the Hive or you will be cast aside. Got it?" she asked, Lindsay and Beth nodding their heads. Heather smirked, tossing them their armbands which they put on proudly. "Welcome to the Hive," she said as her two comrades squealed in delight, pulling Heather in for a group hug. Heather struggled to get out of it as the camera cut away.

Eva stood up from her seat, needing to use the bathroom. As she walked, her MP3 player fell out of her pocket, Heather spotting and going to pick it up. However, Ezekiel saw it and picked it up himself, following after Eva. "Eva! Eva!" he called out, Eva turning to see Ezekiel. "What do you want, Homeschool? Here to talk about how boys can stay awake longer than girls?" she asked accusingly. "No, just saw that you dropped this and thought you'd like it back, Eh," Ezekiel said bashfully, handing her the MP3. Eva was taken aback by this, but shook it off. "Thanks," Eva said curtly, grabbing the device and stuffing it into her pocket. "Hey, I just wanted to say sorry about what I said days back, eh. It was wrong of me, I get that now, and I don't want the only thing I'm remembered for is being a sexist jerk. I'm sure you don't want to see me again, but I just wanted you to know that I do think you're the strongest one here," Ezekiel said, Eva once again being hit with a curve-ball. Was this same Ezekiel she nearly pounded into the catering table days ago?

"Uh... thanks, Zeke. Just don't let me catch you doing it again,' she said, a mixture of stunned awkwardness and forced intimidation. Ezekiel nodded, gave a salute and "Yes, Ma'am" before heading off.

*Gorilla Confessional: Ezekiel*

Well, that's a load off my back. Got all of the Brawler girls to forgive me. Now to try with the Grappler girls.

*Gorilla Confessional: Eva*

So Homeschool finally wised up around here, huh? Maybe I should go a little easier on him. I mean, we're still a team for now and I don't wanna go flying off the handle on my teammates.

*Arena Cam*

"24 hours down, and we have our chopping block trainees. Owen for the Grapplers and Bridgette for the Brawlers," Chris announced to those still awake as Bridgette, Izzy and Noah were carted off by Osiris to their bunks, now 17 campers remaining."And two celebrate those who are left standing, I'm gonna read you guys a few wrestling books," Chris said as he pulled up a massive stack of books written by wrestlers and wrestling historians."We'll start with the Death of WCW," he said, clearing his throat as he began to read, putting on a heavy monotone to help aid the trainees. Ezekiel and DJ would soon pass out from the reading, dropping the count to 15.

*Gorilla Confessional: Courtney*

40 hours in, a miracle if there ever was one. I figured if I kept moving, I could outlast all of them. I just had to keep my eye on the ball.

*Arena Cam*

Courtney needed this as Katie, Sadie and Harold had all passed out and were carted back to their dorms, leaving only her, Duncan, Eva and Geoff awake. The Grapplers fared no better as Lindsay and Beth had passed out, leaving Heather with only her enemies to keep her company as her Hive lackeys were wheeled out. Gwen and Trent spent the time trading favorites back and forth. "Okay, now for the big one: Favorite match?" Trent asked, Gwen racking her brain for a bit. "Mankind vs. The Undertaker. Hell in a Cell," she answered, Trent chuckling. "Oh man, I remember that match. My mom tried covering my eyes when it showed replays of the fall," he said, reminiscing on it. "Okay, what about yours?" Gwen asked in return. "Razor/Michaels, Summerslam '95. First match I ever saw," Trent replied with smile.

Hours passed as the two eventually moved to the arena, lying flat on the mat and looking up at the lights. "Still awake?" Trent asked. "Yeah, it's weird... but I think I'm so tired that I'm not tired anymore. Does that make sense?" she asked back, Trent letting off a weak shrug. "I guess so, like your brain is running on fumes... you eve think of what you're gonna do if you get the contract?" Trent inquired. "Well, there are a few women's promotions I can work at. It'd be a good start since I don't think my look would fit with the more, you know, mainstream wrestling shows," she explained, Trent nodding. "Yeah, I'd probably end up touring Canada for a bit before I head down south," he said, Gwen smiling. "Well, if you're in town, I'll be sure to buy tickets," Gwen said as they continued to study the lights.

51 hours in and Leshawna, Geoff and Cody were wheeled out to their dorms, with only Eva, Duncan, Heather, Trent, Gwen and the still-standing Justin. "Look at him... he's like a statue," Gwen observed. "He hasn't moved in over... 50 hours," Trent said, as the two tried to yell to wake him up, Justin retaining his wide-eyed stare into space. "Amazing... look at the concentration," Gwen said, awestruck. She gently poked his cheek, only to see his head shake and his eyes upon, revealing painted-on eyelids. Chris walked over to Justin, looking over his handiwork.

"That is so freakin' cool! ...But, you're still out," Chris said as Justin headed off. Time lapsed, now hitting the 85 hour mark. Gwen let out a loud yawn. "I'd KILL for a coffee right now," she droned out as Chris downed his cup at the announce table. "What is the matter with you people?!" Chris asked incredulously. "Come on, fall asleep already!" he demanded, his patience wearing thin. "You guys have already missed three days of training! You keep this up and I may have to kick you all out to keep the guys that are actually improving!" He said, growing more and more agitated as Gwen crawled her way up to the table, reaching for his coffee. "You gotta hook me up, man! I'll even eat the grinds! Anything!" she pleaded, desperate for a caffeine fix. Chris downed the rest of his coffee, tossing the cup at Gwen before letting out a sigh. "I didn't want it to come to this. I said that to Osiris last night, I said 'Hatchet, I don't want it to come to this, but darn it! These campers are tough!' So, I've come up with the most boring, sleep-inducing activity I can find!" he said as he began to pull a massive book out from under the announce table.

*Gorilla Confessional: Gwen*

Oh, come on! Another book? What, is he gonna read the entire history of Canada now?

*Announce Cam*

"The History of Canada," Chris declared, dropping the heavy book onto the table, the cheap wood making a small creak as the pressure of the book cracked it. The reading went on for two hours as Eva and Heather both passed out from boredom, Trent not being too far behind. "Trent... noooo... don't leave me..." Gwen said groggily as it was now down to her and Duncan. "Alright, time for a bathroom break. Any takers?" Chris asked as Duncan tried to play it cool in spite of him holding onto his loins. "I've held it this long, sweetheart. I could go all day!" Duncan taunted, Gwen smirking. "Yeah, but can you hold it for another 10 chapters?" she asked, Duncan's eyes widening. As much as he hated to admit it, she had him there. Duncan got up, Chris telling he had five minutes. "Fine! Just keep the camera crew out of the stall!" he barked out as he headed for the restroom, leaving Gwen to try and hold for the next five minutes.

However, when the crew went to check on Duncan, they found him asleep in the stall, an intern heading off to inform Chris. "And we have news. It looks like Duncan's taken a dive on the can! Which means the official winner of the Awake-A-Thon is... Gwen! The Grapplers win another one!" he announced, walking over to raise her hand in victory. "Congratulations, Gwen. Any words you want to say to the camera before you head off to bed?" Chris asked,, Gwen wobbling back and forth while standing up. "Here, kitty kitty kitty kitty..." she muttered before passing out.

The camera cut back to Ezekiel heading off to speak with the Hive. "Hey, girls. I was wondering if we could talk, eh," he started, Beth looking to say something before Heather stopped her. "Look, you little home-schooled headcase, we know what you're about say so save your breath. In case you hadn't noticed, a girl beat a boy in the final two of the Awake-A-Thon, so your little theory is dead in the water," Heather began, glaring at Ezekiel, who didn't back down. "Actually, I just came to apologize for what I said. It was wrong and even if we're on different teams, there's gonna be a time where that isn't the case and I'm gonna need to depend you, eh. So I wanted to try and make it up to you," he said, offering a hand, only for Heather to slap it away. "Apology NOT accepted. Now, if you don't mind, my friends and I would like to continue our conversation in private. Lindsay. Beth," she said with a cold tone in her voice, walking off with Lindsay following. Beth mouthed out "Apology accepted before joining her partners in the Hive.

"Well, that went about as well as I expected," a voice from behind Ezekiel said. Zeke turned to see Gwen, Leshawna and Izzy standing there. "So, going around handing out apologies, huh? Well, Zeke, I accept your apology," Gwen said. "Really?" he asked, Leshawna nodding. "It's like my momma said, a grudge is like a cactus. Hold onto it too long and it'll hurt you just as much," Leshawna said, shaking hands with Ezekiel. "Just try not to do it again, I'm trained in at least eight deadly martial arts and will hunt you down," Izzy said while shaking Ezekiel's hand, somehow keeping a cheerful tone. "Er... thanks, eh. I'd better get back to the ring for the elimination ceremony," he said, heading off. The camera cut to the Hive.

"So, why didn't we accept Ezekiel's apology? He seemed really nice about it," Lindsay asked, Heather scowling a bit. "Maybe, but he's still the enemy. I saw him talking with Courtney. She probably put him up to this whole apology bit to try and soften us up. We can't show any sign of weakness or else the Brawlers will exploit that and beat us," Heather explained, the others nodding but not entirely sure about Heather's claims of conspiracy. "Trust me, we keep our distance from any Brawlers and we'll make it to the final three,"she said confidently as they returned to their dorms.

The camera cut to the ring where the now 10 Brawlers stood, Chris looking over them. "Welcome back, Brawlers. Looks like you're losing another member tonight. Everyone who has their name called will be allowed to leave the ring," Chris said, explaining the rules despite the challenge designating a loser. "Let's just get on with it! We know Bridgette's gone, so quit wasting our time!" Duncan demanded, his teammates glaring at him for being so tactless. "What? I'm just saying what you're all thinking!" he said in his defense, Chris sighing. "Okay, Duncan. Since you're in such a hurry, I'll let you head off first," the host said as Duncan climbed through the ropes, leaving the arena. Eva was next, but she stayed outside the ring and watched. She was followed by Courtney, Katie and Sadie, Ezekiel, DJ, Geoff and Harold. Bridgette stood alone in the ring.

"Well, Bridgette. I guess this is goodbye. I hope your time here at Camp McLean was at least a learning experience for you," Chris said, trying to soften the blow. "Yeah, it was fun while it lasted and I think my team's got a lot of potential. Luck was just not on our side tonight. You guys keep fighting, we'll beat the Grapplers soon," she aid with a smile, climbing out the ring and giving a few goodbye handshakes, a hug from Katie and Sadie and a fist-bump from Geoff before handing Chris her shirt and belt. She headed up the ramp, waving goodbye.

The rest of the Brawlers left the arena, Chris standing in the ring. "And another Brawler down. Will the losing streak continue for this team of trainees? Or will they turn their fortunes around and get their first win? Tune in next time to see how it plays out on Totally... Tough... Enough!" Chris shouted as the credits rolled in.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for everyone who's been reading so far. Been thinking on the next challenge ad trying to think of something to replace the dodgeball game. Current idea is do a Survivor Series match, 5 on 5 with a Team Captain who will get eliminated if their team loses, but if you guys have anything better to suggest, I'm all ears.


	4. Episode 4: Sole Survivor

The shows opens on Chris in a brand new ring, his mic now having a cover with the TTE logo emblazoned on it. "Last time on Totally Tough Enough. The Grapplers kicked butt in the Awake-A-Thon when Duncan took a snooze on the can and the Brawlers took their second loss in a row. Heather formed the first TTE alliance with Lindsay and Beth, operating under the name of The Hive. And while her plan to set off the short fuse of Eva were stopped by Ezekiel, the Brawlers still had to say goodbye to a teammate as Bridgette walked up the ramp. Will the Hive dominate the game? Will Gwen be able to stay awake until the end of the episode? And who will take the walk up the ramp next? Find out tonight on Totally... Tough... Enough!" Chris shouted to end the recap as the show went to intro.

The show's return saw a still-tired camp attempting to make up for lost sleep, mainly the boys in the Brawlers team who had to endure Harold's snoring, gathered around at catering. Duncan had his face buried in his oatmeal, serving as a makeshift, cinnamon-covered pillow. Harold soon arrived at catering, freshly rested and ready to go, completely unaware of the penciled-on mustache that adorned his upper lip, the sight of which elicited laughter from the entire catering table. "Okay, what?" Harold asked as he sat down, confused as to why everyone was laughing. DJ walked over to him once the laughter subsided. "Someone messed with your face, little man," he said, pointing to his upper lip. Harold picked up a spoon, looking at his face and seeing the drawn-on facial hair. "Hey, sweet 'stache," Harold said with a grin as Gwen made he way to catering, head down as the Grapplers cheered her on.

"I'm so tired... I can't feel my face..." she uttered before slamming headfirst onto the table.

*Gorilla Confessional: Courtney*

Okay, so the past two challenges have been kind of bad for us, but we got rid of Tyler in the first one and while Bridgette was actually learning, having her out means we can consolidate our team into a fighting force for the next challenge... I mean, yeah. DJ, Geoff and Ezekiel are exhausted and Duncan's drowning in his oatmeal. But, we still got Eva, Katie and Sadie are actually a pretty good tag team. Plus, with my technical skills and CIT experience, I can lead this team to a victory... right?

*Catering Cam*

"Okay, let's go over the rules. #1: I am the Queen Bee and you do everything the Queen Bee says," Heather said to her Hive cohorts, Beth and Lindsay. "#2..." she said, leaving it lingering for one of them to answer. "Everything we do has to be done in service to the Hive, whether it's protecting you, ourselves and our allies?" Lindsay replied, Heather nodded. "Very good, Lindsay. #3: Until the merger, your are not to ally yourself with any of the Brawlers. Beth, what is #4?" she asked, putting the heat on Beth. "If you declare someone an enemy of the Hive, we are not to associate with them under any circumstances," Beth answered without a second thought. "Excellent, and #5... all together now..." Heather ordered, the two joining in unison with her: "The Queen Bee does not suffer fools gladly. You pull your weight in the Hive or you will be cast aside," the three said, Heather nodding and smiling. "Yes, perfect. You two are learning quick," Heather said in a complimentary tone as Chris had them called to the arena. "But learning only half the battle. Shall we get going?" she asked, the two getting to join them as the teams headed for the arena, DJ and Geoff carrying the sleeping Duncan while Trent and Leshawna followed suit with Gwen.

The camera cut to the arena where Chris and Osiris were standing in the ring, The Hatchet adorned in a referee shirt. "Good morning, trainees. Now, I know what you guys are thinking, 'Chris, what's with the new ring? It actually looks good.' And you'd be right. That's because we recently inked a sponsorship with F.T. King's Custom Rings. TTE is on the rise and people want a slice of the pie," Chris explained as the still-sleeping Duncan and Gwen were put into seats. "They also supplied us a brand new announce table with a snazzy headset mic, where I will be commentating the action for the match," the host continued, piquing the trainees' interest. A match? They actually got to wrestle a match? This was an exciting prospect for many of them, to wrestle their first match and on national television no less. Chris handed the mike to Osiris, who cleared his throat. "Created in 1987 to compete with the first ever Starrcade pay-per-view, the Survivor Series is a show built on an elimination tag team match. Today's challenge will require both teams to choose a captain. That captain will pick five of their teammates to wrestle in a five-on-five elimination tag team match. The losing team's captain will be eliminated from the show, so they best choose wisely for their team. You have ten minutes to pick your team" Osiris said, leaving the ring to ignore the murmurs of the trainees at the thought of being eliminated through the fault of five others. Heather saw this as a golden opportunity.

*Gorilla Confessional: Heather*

So, team captain gets eliminated? Well, since Know-It-All Noah's probably the smartest one on the team, he's probably too smart for the Hive. Best to be rid of him quickly before he becomes my worst enemy.

*Arena Cam*

The Brawlers were unanimous in their choice of Courtney as team captain. "Okay then, let's see what we've got here. Eva, you're our best weapon as of right now since Duncan's out like a light. Katie & Sadie, you two have been improving as a tag team, so you'll have the advantage in this kind of match. DJ, Geoff. You two might be blown up, but we can definitely make use of a hot tag, so you're in," Courtney said, Harold raising an objection. "But what about me? I'm fully awake! I can do this!" he said, Courtney sighing. "Yes, but your snoring cost us Duncan and with your heart palpitations after the 20k run, we can't risk you keeling over during the match," Courtney said, cutting down the argument there if not for DJ stepping in. "Come on, Courtney. Give him a chance. I can sit this one out," he offered, Courtney shaking her head. "No deal, we can't risk another loss and I certainly can't afford to lose this challenge. Captain's orders are final here," she said, putting her foot down as Ezekiel walked over to Osiris.

"Hey, Hatchet. I got a question, eh. Any rules about alternates in a match? Like if someone gets injured?" he asked, Osiris scratching his chin. "Each team is allowed one alternate in case of injury, but only if the injured wrestler can score an elimination," he explained, Ezekiel nodding and relaying the information to his team. "Okay, so we'll allow Harold to alternate if anyone gets hurt," Courtney said with a sigh, compromising her plan. "But if we bring you in, Harold, you'd better bring your A-game. I am NOT leaving here because of you," she threatened, Harold nodding as the team put their hands in, ready to go.

On the Grappler side of things they were deciding their team captain. "I think it should be Heather," Lindsay offered, Beth nodding and agreeing until Heather spoke up. "Aww, thanks, you two. But perhaps it'd be better if we let Noah lead the team. He is the smartest one here. Besides, he'd probably want more time to read than wrestle. Right, Noah?" Heather asked, turning to the tanned bookworm who was indeed face-deep in a book. "Yeah, sure. Anyone else got a suggestion?" he asked.

"You know what? I say we let Heather be captain," Leshawna said, confusing the others. "But... don't you hate her?" Owen asked. "Sure, I hate her guts. And if she's captain than that means I'll have her out of my hair faster," she explained. However, Leshawna may have been alone in her campaign against the Queen Bee as Cody, Trent and Owen also picked Noah, mostly thanks to Noah's arrogance making for rather difficult times in the Grappler boys dorm. Justin remained undecided and Izzy had offered her own services, citing an IQ of 188. "That's 8 points higher than Noah's. Besides, I'm like a rattlesnake... I move quickly and silently through the brush and I can strike..." Izzy said in her usual rapid fire cadence, snapping her fingers after a pause in her words. "Within a second! They'll never see me coming!" she said with a wide grin, the other trainees backing away from her. "...Good to know, Izzy. But, it looks like the vote is for six for Noah. So, captain, who's going to wrestle?" Heather asked, Noah looking up from his book. "Owen and Leshawna have the power advantage, Izzy's speed will make her an impossible to hit target, and... well, Justin's useless in a match... so perhaps we'll go with either Cody and Trent or Lindsay and Beth," he said, leaving the possibility up in the air. "Lindsay and Beth will not be competing in this match," Heather said, making the decision for her cohorts. "Neither one has fully developed enough as wrestlers to be of any use. Besides, they'd be lost out there without me," she explained, Noah rolling his eyes and nodding. "Have it your way, then. Trent, Cody. You're up," the Grappler Captain said, the two trainees high-fiving as the the two teams gathered round their corners of the ring. The Hive sat down, Beth looking over and seeing Ezekiel wave to her, Beth waving back a bit before feeling Heather's eyes staring daggers at her. She quickly put her hand down and turned her attention to the ring

Cody was first up for the Grapplers, with Eva entering first for the Brawlers. Cody charged right out of the gate, only to be greeted with a hard boot to the face, knocking him out as Eva pinned him with one hand, Osiris bending down and getting the three count. "And the Codemaster strikes out with the ladies once again!" Chris said at the announce table as Trent stepped in, actually managing to lock up with Eva. However, this was as far as things went as Eva was able to overpower him and quickly hit him with a powerbomb, again pinning with a single hand on the chest, netting a second elimination.

Her winning streak soon was met with a challenge in the form of Leshawna, who was able to match her in strength and had a mean streak in her. The two were throwing each other around the ring, neither one giving up, kicking out of whatever big move had just been hit. Eva would hit a hard lariat, only to get a two count. Leshawna goes for a sidewalk slam, another kickout. The match soon descended into a wild brawl with the two throwing hands in the middle of the ring, none of the teams wanting to get between them. Thankfully, Osiris had been involved in quite a few of these during his time and got to work breaking it up by grabbing Eva and suplexing her across the ring, doing the same to Leshawna. "Oh yeah, forgot to mention, Ref Hatchet has free reign to attack the wrestlers, thought if you touch him its grounds for disqualification," Chris said through his headset, Eva getting up to yell at their host only to be spun around by Leshawna and hit with a falling powerslam. Osiris went for the pin getting the 1... 2...

Eva kicked out just before his hand touched the mat, giving Leshawna one last powerbomb and pinning him, scoring her third elimination. She slowly stood up, breathing hard from exhaustion, the fight with Leshawna taking a lot out of her when she was suddenly brought back down to mat by Izzy, hitting with a jumping cutter and getting the first elimination for the Grapplers. "And there goes victory for the Brawlers," Noah said confidently as he tuned the page on his book, DJ heading out. Izzy's quick movement proved to be difficult for DJ to keep up with as every attempt to grapple her resulting in an escape, the wild ginger wrapping an arm around DJ's neck as she got under him, bending forward to stretch out his back and placing her elbow on his back. She dropped to her knees, the point of her elbow slamming into his back and jarring it slightly as she went for the pin, only to get a kick out.

The strategy soon changed with the Brawlers making quick tags to try and throw Izzy off. However, this proved fruitless as she seemed to adapt to DJ's power moves Geoff's punch-kick style and Katie and Sadie's patented "Throw Katie at them" tag team maneuvers. However, Izzy slipped up and Katie managed to dodge, tagging in Sadie as their opponent hit the turnbuckle, getting dazed from the impact. Sadie tossed her down and lifted Katie up into a military press. That's when Izzy suddenly leapt up and hit Sadie with a jumping cutter, bringing her down and Katie crashing onto her, Izzy pinning them both and evening up the score. Courtney quickly called for a time out to strategize.

"Okay, this is looking bad, but we can recover. I've been watching Izzy and I think I've got her figured out," she said, Geoff and DJ nodding as she explained. "She's never gone for a direct attack. All of her moves are done to counter your attacks or to sneak attack anyone she's in the ring with. You need to go on the defensive. Do quick tags to keep her from learning your style too quickly. Got it?" she asked, the two giving a thumbs up. Courtney smiled as she called for the match to continue, the two teams returning to their positions. Geoff went in first and simply sat back against the ropes, Izzy charging straight for him only for Geoff to quickly slide under as she dove through the middle rope, hitting the floor. Izzy jumped back up, furious at having been dodged, jumping back onto the apron and going for a springboard attack, only to receive an uppercut for her troubles. Geoff went for the pin, getting a two count and tagging in DJ.

Izzy made a mad dash for the bighearted brickhouse, getting caught and suplexed for it. He pulled her into a bearhug, Izzy slithering out and preparing for another jumping cutter, only to be caught off guard by Geoff hitting a diving leg drop off the top and getting her from behind. "What the? Ref! He's not the legal man!" Noah cried out, objecting to the illegal move and demanding a DQ, Chris shrugging if off. "I'll allow it," he said as Geoff and DJ picked Izzy up, Irish whipping her into the ropes and giving her a double clothesline, Izzy doing a flip in midair and crashing down on the mat. DJ went for the pin and got the three count as Owen stepped into the ring. DJ got his arms around Owen, ready to bodyslam him and wrap this up. However, Izzy's earlier elbow to his back had caused some damage, and the strain of lifting the massive Owen only aggravated the injury, DJ let out a cry of pain as he let go of Owen, the big guy falling on top of him.

Ref Hatchett went for the three count but Geoff made the save at two, forcing the kick-out and pulling DJ out of the ring, Courtney calling for another time-out. "How bad is it, DJ?" she asked, concerned as DJ took in a deep breath. "Anh... I don't think I can keep going. If I tried lifting him again, I could end up in a wheelchair for life. We're gonna have to put Harold in," he said, Courtney shaking her head vigorously. "No way. I'd rather you just take a count out and rely on Geoff to make it to the end. Owen would crush Harold out there," Courtney said, bringing up a good point. Harold was a scrawny dude who could fit in Owen's fat folds. "Trust me, Courtney. I got this. I got the one thing Owen can't beat," Harold said with a hint of confidence. "And what, pray tell, is that?" she asked, Harold smirking. "Just watch," Harold replied as he slid into the ring, Ref Hatchet allowing the match to continue.

Owen quickly charged at Harold, only to be dodged as Harold did a baseball slide under the big guy's legs. Owen turned around and went for another running attack, Harold sidestepping him and keeping himself light on his feet as he ducked an incoming clothesline. Harold, feeling his oats a bit, went up for a diving crossbody only to be caught and given a Fallaway Slam into his corner, Owen charging up for a big corner splash. Geoff quickly tagged in, pulling Harold out and taking the splash for him, getting pinned for a three count. It was now down to the final two: Harold and Owen.

Harold kept up his previous strategy of ducking, dodging and rolling away from every attack Owen could throw at him. Clotheslines ducked, corner splashes rolled away from, belly-to-belly suplexes slid out of. Owen's breath grew heavier and heavier with each passing minute of the fight. The end came with Owen huffing and puffing in the center of the ring, arms dropped down to his side as Harold leapt up for a dropkick, catching himself on his way down as Owen crashed onto the mat. Harold quickly ran to a nearby turnbuckle, climbing up to the top rope as the Brawlers cheered him on, chanting his name as he took in a deep breath before leaping off the top rope and hitting a moonsault straight on Owen, desperately holding his shoulders down as Hatchet counted 1...2...3.

Chris rushed into the ring to help Harold up and raise his arm. "The winner, and sole survivor for the Brawlers... Harold!" he announced as the Brawlers, sans Duncan, jumped into the ring to celebrate, Courtney hugging her teammate and congratulating him. "You did it, Harold! You got us our first victory!" she cheered as the rest of the assembled Brawlers assisted her in lifting Harold up and carrying him off. Harold was on Cloud 9 as he was crowd-surfed out of the arena. His team finally won a challenge and it was him who scored the winning fall.

On the Grappler side, Noah dropped his book on the ground, eyes wide and mouth agape as he saw Owen lying on the mat. His best weapon, his surefire victory for him and his team had fallen. He was out of the Grapplers. Chris called the losing team back into the ring, the Grapplers gathering around their fallen comrade. "Grapplers, what happened? You were doing so well... but now you stand here needing to send one of your own home. Let's get a role call of who gets to stay... Owen," Chris said, the rest of the Grapplers working to lift Owen up and throw him over the top rope, Noah standing there still in dead silence. Gwen, who had slept through the entire challenge, stepped out of the ring with a yawn. The remaining names were soon called: Cody, Trent, Heather, Beth, Justin, Leshawna, Izzy and Lindsay. "Tough break, Noah. It's always gotta suck to be the first trainee dropped from the team. Any last words?" he asked, Noah simply setting down his belt, taking off his Grappler t-shirt and folding it before laying it down on the belt and handing the ensemble to Chris. Noah made his shell-shocked walk up the ramp, leaving the team and the show without a single word.

The camera cut to the Grappler Girl's dorm, where Heather was working in her notebook, Beth walking up to her with a tray, a beautifully crafted Reuben sandwich with glass cold milk on the tray. Beth set it down gently on the bed, praying that she got it all right. Heather picked up the sandwich, taking a bite. "...Good work, Beth. You're dismissed for the night," Heather answered, Beth sighing before looking up at the notebook. "Crossing out Noah's name from the list?" she asked, Heather shaking her head. "That's been done already. Now I'm just assessing the Brawlers. Since they actually won a challenge, we can't ignore them for much longer. Geoff pulled off an impressive leg drop, but he's too friendly too be a longstanding threat. Katie and Sadie are annoyances more than anything and Homeschool Headcase is pretty much a non-entity to us," she began, Beth nodding and sitting down beside her. "And the rest are all threats, right?" Beth asked, Heather smirking and patting Beth on the head. "Exactly. DJ and Eva are tanks, Duncan is... hrm, what's the word I'm looking for..." Heather said, rubbing her chin. "Scary?" Beth suggested.

"More like terrifying. Harold, despite being a dweeb is also impossible to hit and did win the first contest. And then there's Courtney. The brains behind the Brawlers. We haven't seen her or Duncan do anything, but she assembled a winning team so she's the first one to go if she's still around after the merge... oh, and Beth?" Heather said, Beth turning to her leader. "I may have said he's a non-entity, but if you ever so much as look at Ezekiel, I will not hesitate to have you thrown out. You've been riding on a good thing so far with us. But now that the Brawlers have a fighting chance, you every little mistake is gonna be put under far more scrutiny. Got it?" Heather asked, a touch of venom in the question. Beth nodding her head rapidly as the Queen Bee took another bite of sandwich. "Good, now run along. I want to eat in peace," she ordered, Beth running out the dorm as the show cut to credits.


	5. Episode 5: Mic Check

Chris, standing in the ring, pulled up to microphone to begin his recap. "Last time on Totally Tough Enough, the Brawlers finally managed to break their losing streak against the Grapplers in an intense Survivor Series Match. There were broken backs, big boots, high-flying and big underdog stories all in this match," he said as the video showed DJ wrecking his back trying to lift Owen, Eva hitting a boot on Cody and pinning him, Geoff hitting a diving leg drop on Izzy and Harold dodging around Owen's offense. "And in the end, it was Grappler Captain Noah who was eliminated. This week, another challenge will send one more camper on the bus back home. Who will tap and who will reach the ropes? Find out right now on Totally... Tough... Enough!" he cried as the show went to intro.

The return from intro saw the trainees being called to a new room, one they hadn't been in before in the upper floor of the building that was their home. Thee were chairs lined up all around them, everyone finding a seat. "Gwen! Saved you a seat," Trent said to Gwen, patting the seat next to him. Gwen smiled, sitting next to him, Cody sitting on the opposite side of Tent ant attempting to emulate his movements, sitting back as he did only to fall back on his ass. "You alright there, dude?" Trent asked, Cody giving a weak thumbs-up and smile. "All cool down here," he said in an effort to save face. The seats faced a small area with a TTE logo on the wall surrounded by cameras and lights that Chris stepped onto. "The backstage interview is a staple of the wrestling business. It's designed to either hype an upcoming match or get a performer over with the television audience. Today's challenge is that you will get called up, and answer one simple question: Why did you join the show? If you give a good promo, you get a point for your team. If you give a bad promo or balk, then that means you're on the chopping block. The team with the most points wins the challenge," Chris said, explaining the rules. Courtney raised her hand.

"Chris, doesn't that seem to be at a disadvantage for the Brawlers? The Grapplers have more teammates, so they could win this easily," she said, voicing her concern. "Maybe, but that just means you're all gonna have to try your best to get all nine points you can. But for now, let's have Lindsay join us up here," Chris said as Lindsay walked up. "So, Lindsay, why did you join the show?" he asked, pointing the mic to her. "Because I get to be on TV! National television! And when I'm one, I'll probably get a movie deal! Ooh! Or a deal with a record company! Wanna hear me sing?!" she asked, Chris pulling the mic away before she could let out a note. "No, that'll be fine..." he said, Lindsay trying to grab the mic from him before Heather and Beth pulled her back to her seat.

"Well, that's one point for the Grapplers. Now then, here's a chance for the Brawlers to get two points as Katie and Sadie are first up for their team," Chris said as the BFFs excitedly headed up to the interview space. "Okay, ladies, why did you join the show?" he asked, Katie starting things off. "Sadie and I have been friends since we were little! We've done everything together! Going to the same schools, the same summer camps, carnival rides together, we've shared the chicken pox together..." she rambled before giving Sadie the mic.

"And we watched wrestling together! We saw all these great tag teams like the Road Warriors, the Rockers, the New Age Outlaws, Harlem Heat, the World's Greatest Tag Team and we wanted to be champions just like them! We'd take up summer jobs to save money so we could pay for wrestling school!" Sadie explained, turning the mic back to her friend. "And then, we heard about TTE and we put all our training school money into admission! And when we make it to the final two, we're splitting the money and take the wrestling world by storm!" she finished, the two squealing at their own idea as Chris sent them off. "Alright, good work by the two of you. That's two points to the Brawlers. Next up is Owen," he said as Owen got up, taking up most of the interview corner's space as he was asked why he joined by Chris.

"I've always been kind of a big dude and the thing about big dudes is we don't have a lot of career options. I didn't really want to work at lumber mill or in construction for all my life and I loved seeing big dudes like the Big Show because it gave me hope that even a guy like me could be a star. I joined because this is the only place I can really belong, where I know I can make a good living and do something I love," Owen said, catching everyone off guard with his heartfelt confession that tied up the score. He made his way back to his seat to a round of applause from his teammates as Ezekiel was up next. "Ezekiel, why did you join this show?" Chris asked, Ezekiel thinking it over for a minute. "Well, I like wrestling. I know my parents didn't like me watching violent stuff, but I thought it was cool. So, I signed up for here," he said, rather plain and simple. "...Uh-huh that's it?" Chris asked, hoping for some kind of follow up. "Pretty much," he replied, Chris sighing. "Okay, no points for that one... Heather, how about you?" Chris asked as Heather took the mic.

"Why did I join this show? That's simple, I want the money. I'm not gonna pretend to care about this fake circus show you people call a sport. I am going to win the 100 grand and after that, who knows? Maybe I'll sign with the WWE for big money and do nothing. Maybe I'll sell the contract on the internet to some loser who'll pay through the nose for it. But while I'm here, I'm running this game because I am the Queen Bee," she said, tossing the mic aside, Chris picking it up. "Ooh, good heel work by Heather. That's another point for the Grapplers and we got a tie. Let's take it over to DJ. What do you got to say, big man?" he asked as DJ stepped up next, moving gingerly to keep from upsetting his back

"Why did I join this show? Well, like Owen said it came from being a big guy and having few options for employment, but more than that was my momma. She was the one who sat me down in front of the TV to watch wrestling and got me into this and she supported my dream to become a wrestler and now I wanna repay her. If I win the money, I'm gonna use it to make it so my momma can go back home to Jamaica and use the contract to live out my dream," DJ said, getting applause from the Brawlers as Chris awarded him a point to DJ. Izzy was brought up next, immediately going at 100 words a minute. "I grew up in a family of wrestling fanatics, so it was only natural that I took to it so well! My brother and I used to share a room so we would Frog Splash from one bed onto the other all the time! Plus, my great-grandfather was a wrestler way back in the early days but had to retire due to back injury, so I'm bringing the family legacy!" She said excitedly, Chris not entirely sure if he caught all that but giving her a point regardless. Next up was Eva, who yanked the mic from Chris and shoved him aside.

"I was the toughest girl in my whole high school. When football season started, no one talked about the home team winning games, players going 45-7 in the fourth, they talked about me going 8-0 in fights against the away team. But that kind of stuff gets people running scared from you, calling you a freak. So I turned to wrestling and that's when I learned about Chyna. This amazon who was beating men in the ring for belts and I saw it as my opportunity. I'm gonna be the next Chyna. Hell, maybe I'll even surpass Chyna and if I've gotta put every last one of you in the hospital to do it, then that's what I got to do," she said with a scowl, putting the mic to her neck before cracking it, letting the amplified sound hit their ears and then tossing the mic back to Chris, knocking him down again.

"Ow... okay... time for Beth to come up," he said, Beth nervously getting up and walking over to Chris. "So... why did you want to be a wrestler, Beth?" he asked, Beth stammering as the mic was put to her. "Well... I-I... uh... I mean I-I watched it when I was growing up on the f-farm and... I..." Beth tried to say, watching the others just stare at her. Heather glared judgmentally, only making Beth's nerves even more wrecked, causing her to hyperventilate and run off, leaving the interview room. Lindsay went to help her, only to be stopped by Heather. "No," she said sharply, Lindsay sitting back down. "Well, looks like the first no-pointer for the Grapplers. And you were doing so well. Harold, you're up next!" Chris said, Harold walking up and taking a breath.

"I think it should come as no surprise that I was bullied growing up. Stuffed into lockers, chased down biking home from school, the usual. I got into wrestling because I wanted an escape from it. Imaging myself as the big muscular babyface taking down the arrogant heel. I got to watch these great characters and matches and wanted to be part of it. But wrestling schools wouldn't take me. Said I was too scrawny, that I wouldn't last 10 minutes in the ring so I took up figure skating. If I couldn't pursue my dream, then I was going to be the best figure skater imaginable. And I was the best. I was able to work with any partner they threw at me. Veterans, rookies, prima donnas, and I was able to get a great performance out of all them. Then my coach told me that a guy she dated back in high school was doing a TV show. She knew how much I wanted this and helped me with the application so I could get here. And I am gonna follow my dream as far this show will take me," Harold said, getting a solid applause from the Brawlers as Justin stepped up. "So, handsome, why did you join this show?"

Justin simply flashed a winning smile, leaving an awkward silence until Chris asked again. Once again, he simply smiled without a real answer. "Come on! Out with it, man!" Chris shouted, Justin snapping out of it. "Uh... well, my agent said it would be good for my acting career... and... er..." he said with long pauses, rubbing the back of his head. "No point for the Grapplers on this one. Geoff, hurry on up so we can put Justin out of his misery," Chris said as Geoff headed up, Justin sitting back down. Geoff gave a very basic "fan of a wrestling since I was kid" speech, barely getting a point as Trent stepped up, giving a similar answer going into his childhood love of the sport. The trend continued with Courtney relaying tales of watching wrestling with her father and actually leaning the more scientific style of wrestling. Then came Cody, who was sweating before he got there, stammered his way through the whole thing, meaning it was a third missed point for the Grapplers. Leshawna was brought in to help balance things out, doling out a straightforward "watched it with parent" promo that got the score where it needed to be.

"At this point, we've got a winner at 7-6, but these two sat out the last challenge, so I'm wanting to give these two time to talk to the audience. Get to know them better. Duncan..." Chris began, giving the mic to Duncan, who yanked it from him. "I joined this stupid show because my parole officer said it would help me out to be out of juvie for a few weeks. Adjust to normal society and all that crap. And... I like to hurt people," he said with a sick smile. "Hurting people is my favorite hobby. You don't get 15 years in Juvenile Hall for fighting in illegal cage matches without enjoying it just a bit. And since MMA won't take me, I figured I'd make a good living hurting people by being a wrestler," Duncan finished before handing the mic to Gwen. "Your move, sweetheart. Try not to fall on your face," he said with a smirk as Gwen scowled and took the mic.

"I think it should be a bit obvious that I'm not your conventional teenage girl. With the blonde hair and blush, spreading gossip and talking about cute boys. Nah, I'm the pasty girl who likes astronomy, horror movies and wrestling. It's always been a part of my life, even if my mom never liked me or my brother watching it. So, coming here was more about getting training, since I wasn't considered... 'Diva material'" Gwen said with air-quotes and a feigned retch. "But hey, even if I don't win, I can still get my name out there if I get a long run with some buzz going. But for now, I'm just here to ride this train as long as it will take me and enjoy the ride," she said, tossing the mic to Chris. "And there you have it, folks. We have us a winner at 8-7, the Brawlers win their second challenge and the Grapplers will see us at the ring tonight," Chris said as we walked off, the trainees heading for their dorms.

"Beth, I forgot to fold my bed this morning. Would you be a dear and help me with that?" Heather asked, Beth nodding and running ahead of her and Lindsay. "Lindsay, I need you to do something tonight. Beth's clearly going to lose tonight, so I want you to take her armband from her when she eats the pin. Got it?" she asked, Lindsay about to object, but nodding as Heather gave he a cold stare. "Okay..." Lindsay said, somewhat defeated at losing someone who was becoming a close friend to her. "A group is as strong as its weakest link. We get rid of Beth and become all the stronger for it," Heather said as they walked off, heading back to their dorm.

The camera cut to the arena where all but three Grapplers were outside the ring. Inside the ring were Justin, Beth and Cody. "Kudos to you all for your efforts tonight. There were some good promos, some average promos and then thee were these three. Stage fright can be the worst thing sometimes. Even I had to struggle with cutting a promo at one point. But tonight, it's going to cost you your spot on the show. Chris said as Osiris stepped into the ring in his referee shirt, Chris rolling out of the ring to sit on commentary as the match kicked off. Justin pulled his shirt off, tossing it into the crowd where several of the girls and Owen dove for it in an effort to be the one to grab the discarded clothing.

The match played heavily in Justin's favor as he pressed the power advantage over Cody and Beth, tossing them around like ragdolls. Any offense they could muster up was countered easily, Justin posing after each successful move. Cody hit the top rope, going for a crossbody only to be caught by Justin, who tossed him out of the ring with a Fallaway Slam before turning to Beth, picking he up from the mat and hitting her with a Samoan Drop and getting the three-count. Justin stood up, leaving the rink and giving a passing wink to Heather, who winked back.

*Gorilla Confessional: Heather*

My words didn't go over well with the team, but I figured if I offer a favor to Justin, he'd help me deal with a problem. He's taken care of the anchor around my neck and when the time comes, I'll help him out. He's not a member of the Hive, but if I ever need a little muscle, I'll now who to call.

*Arena Cam*

Lindsay made he way into the ring, offering a hand to Beth, who took it. "Sorry, Beth. Heather didn't want you around any more," Lindsay said ruefully as she pulled off he friend's Hive armband. Beth tried to fight the tears welling up in her eyes as Lindsay hugged her. "Don't worry. I'll keep fighting and make it into the final two," she whispered. "And then, I'll beat her. For you," she said, Beth crying into her shoulder, her smile covered up as she thanked Lindsay. Beth took off her Grapplers shirt, walking over to Chris to give him the shirt and her TTE belt. Beth headed up the ramp, waving goodbye to her teammates as they began to disperse.

*Gorilla Confessional: Lindsay*

I joined this show for the fame. To boost my popularity and start a career in television. But now, I'm staying here because I want to make it to the final two. For Beth's sake and mine. I'll stick with Heather, but only so she doesn't single me out as a threat. But make no mistake that I am ready to take her down when I get the chance.

*Arena Cam*

"Well, nothing too intense for this week, but hey, I still get paid. And who knows? Maybe we'll see something big happen on the next Totally Tough Enough!" Chris announced to close out the show.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the delay, guys. Just sort of happens in this case. Bit of a lss character-heavy chapter too. There was just no way to work in the diary stuff in this one so I excised it. Hopefully the Hive breaking down a bit helps ease the loss. Enjoy and who knows when the next chapter will be out. Hopefully I'll make it soon.


	6. Episode 6: Putting It All Together

"Last time on Totally Tough Enough," Chris announced from inside the interview room. "A promo contest was held right here in our new interview room. Some were great, some were decent and some totally fell on their faces. In the end, it was the Brawlers who walked away the winners. And in our first triple threat match, it was Hive member Beth who took the walk up the ramp, thanks to a temporary alliance between Heather and Justin. With the score tied at two challenges each, who will break the tie between the two teams? Who will send a teammate home? And will Justin cash in on the favor that Heather owes him? Find out tonight on Totally Tough Enough!" Chris announced as the show cut to intro.

The return saw Chris and Hatchet in the ring, surrounded by the remaining trainees. Outside the ring were two crates, covered in green and red sheets. Chris tapped the mic a bit to get people's attention before handing it to Osiris. "Every wrestler starts somewhere at the bottom. Working as a referee, running the concession stand or in the case of today's challenge, putting the ring together. You will be given the materials and instructions to build your own wrestling ring with supplies provided by F.T. King's Custom Rings, a proud sponsor of Totally Tough Enough," Osiris said, reading the advertisement off the flashcard in his hand. "If your ring is functional, you win immunity. Should your ring fall apart upon completion, your team will be on the chopping block," he explained further, tossing a pamphlet of instructions to each team. Heather caught the Grappler pamphlet while Duncan intercepted the Brawler pamphlet from Courtney, only to be elbowed in the side by Eva, forcing him to drop it and allowing Courtney to pick it up. "You have five hours, now let's get moving!" the Hatchet barked out, the group heading to their crates, Leshawna and Owen carrying the Grappler crate while Eva and DJ took the Brawler crate, Harold walking over to DJ.

"You think you can carry that, big man?" Harold asked, concerned about his teammate's well-being. "It's fine, little man. My back's feeling great! And Eva's been carrying most of the weight here," DJ said, Harold feeling reassured. The camera cut to later on to outside the camp, both leaders looking over the instructions. First step was to measure out a ring and dig three foot holes in each corner. "Should be easy enough. Harold, you measure out the ring. Duncan, you dig the holes," Courtney said, tossing a roll of green duct tape to Harold and a shovel to Duncan. "Hold on, why do I gotta do the dirty work around here, princess?" Duncan objected, throwing the shovel down. "Because you probably had a lot of experience doing labor in juvie. Plus, you cost us the victory in the Awake-A-Thon and were out for the Survivor Series match, so you need to pick up the slack," she explained, Duncan scowling and walking off.

*Gorilla Confessional: Duncan*

I am not some grunt here to do other people's dirty work. I've had to put up with up with a bunch of losers since I got here, led by Captain Loser of the Lose-itania. I'm sitting this challenge out.

*Field Cam*

Courtney sighed, handing the shovel to Ezekiel. "Okay then... Ezekiel, you're up. Harrold can help you measure the holes," she said, Ezekiel taking the shovel and giving a "yes ma'am" and a salute. Ezekiel and Harold got to work, Harold laying down tape, calculating it mentally to get and eight-by-eight measurement. On the Grappler side, Cody had finished laying out the tape lines, getting an eight-by-eight square. It was at this point Heather lamented Beth's elimination as she would've made a perfect digger. As she looked over her teammates, she picked who she wanted to dig holes. "Gwen will dig the holes," she said, tossing the shovel to Gwen. Gwen rolled her eyes, walking over to dig the holes. Gwen grumbled as Trent walked over to the Brawler square.

"Hey, Zeke. Mind if I borrow your shovel?" Trent asked, Ezekiel thinking it over. "Hey, Courtney! We gonna need the shovel after this?" he asked, Courtney shaking her head. "Nothing in the instructions mentions using it. We can toss it out," she said as she looked over the instructions, crossing out the first instruction as Ezekiel handed the shovel to Trent, the rest of the Brawlers pulling parts from the crate. Trent walked off, helping Gwen dig the holes. Gwen smiled a bit at this, the pair getting the job done.

Step two had Geoff, Eva, DJ, Katie and Sadie holding up four metal poles in the dirt while Harold and Ezekiel packed the holes with cement to keep the poles stable. This was matched by the Grapplers with Owen, Leshawna and Justin holding while Cody, Trent and Gwen filled. The Grapplers ended up finishing faster in spite of having less holders due to being able to fill more holes while Harold and Zeke took time to pack theirs in. Step three was to set up a layer of 16 tires inside the posts to make the base of the ring. In spite of Courtney's efforts, Duncan was unmoved from his position, now set in a lawn chair and watching the others. "You know, you could try actually being a part of this team," Courtney said, trying and failing to guilt Duncan into getting up. "Look, princess, you guys got this. You get two done each and you'll have it in no time," Duncan shot back, spitting out his used piece of gum. "Now get going. You're blocking my light," he said, further aggravating Courtney.

In spite of his carefree attitude towards the challenge, Duncan had a point of two tires each, though Eva was able to carry four tires on her own, as did DJ, allowing Harold and Ezekiel to focus on lifting up the first of four mattresses for step four. Courtney got her two in, as did Geoff. Katie and Sadie managed to get two before Eva finished things off. On the Grappler side, Heather was the one to sit things out. "Come on, you guys! Put you backs into it! The Brawlers are hitting step four! We gotta catch up!" She shouted, Gwen snarling and and getting right into her face.

"Look, Queen Bee, just because you don't have Beth to kick around doesn't mean you can turn the whole team into lackeys! You want this ring done? You do it!" Gwen snapped at Heather, who breathed in a bit, exhaling before she spoke. "I am the coordinator for this challenge. You need someone who can give out the orders and pick the best worker for a given job," Heather rationalized. "Besides, I don't want to break a nail on one of those things. Now, get back to work!" she demanded, only to get a tire pushed against as Gwen walked off. Cody got up, following after her.

*Gorilla Confessional: Cody*

Time for the Codemaster to make his move...

*Hallway Cam 1*

"Gwen? You alright in there?" Cody asked, knocking on the door to the Grappler Girls Dorm. Gwen rolled her eyes, focusing on writing in her diary. "Beat it, Cody. I'm busy," she replied, Cody carefully stepping away from the door. "I-I gotcha... it's cool, brah. Just looking out for a teammate is all," Cody said trying to maintain his cool, Gwen not buying his claim one bit. "Yeah, that's why you came here and not just to try an hit on me again," she retorted, cutting him down a bit. "N-no! I would never... okay, maybe a little... look, I know Heather's a pain to deal with, but you can't let her get to you. She wants you to get angry, so you're just playing into her hands," Cody said, Gwen thinking about it and breathing in deep, letting out a sigh. "You're right, Cody. If I let my anger get to me, she'll probably eat me alive. I'll be out in a few minutes, just gonna finished something up real quick," she said with a small smile.

*Gorilla Confessional: Gwen*

Cody's like a little brother. He can be annoying at times, but he's got his heart in the right place and when he does something nice for you, you just can't help but love him.

*Field Cam*

Gwen and Cody made it back to the Grappler ring as they had gotten to step four, layering mattresses over the tires. Gwen noticed that Heather was absent from the group, breathing a sigh of relief as she and Cody helped Trent and Leshawn lift one of the mattresses. Owen was carrying his own while Justin and Lindsay worked together on one, Izzy keeping watch of the Brawlers, who had laid down two thanks to Eva and DJ. Ezekiel, Harold, Katie & Sadie got one while Geoff and Courtney worked on the other.

The camera cut to Heather searching through the Grappler Girls Dorm, searching for anything to use against Gwen, finding a diary under her pillow. "Oh, this is just perfect..." Heather said as she flipped through the book and saw plenty of dirt. She quickly went to her drawer, opening it up and sliding the book inside before quickly shutting and locking it. "Gwen is so done... just need to wait for the right moment for this little bomb to drop," Heather said, turning to the camera with an evil smile. The camera cut back to her return at the 1 hour mark with both teams clearing step four. Steps 5-7 were the easiest so far with setting down plywood on the mattresses, throwing some cushioning on the plywood and then tarp on the cushioning. Step eight was more time consuming, attaching hooked bolts to the turnbuckles. Courtney and Harold focused on that while Geoff and Ezekiel wrapped green duct tape around the ring rope. On the Brawler end it was Gwen and Trent working the bolts while Lindsay and Cody did the red ropes.

Step 10 saw Courtney and Harold running rope to get it around all four corners, Courtney testing the rope as it went through the turnbuckles, gently leaning against them and giving a thumbs up with each go-around. The brawlers had Izzy do the rope work with Owen being the weight test as he had the most weight of the group and would be the biggest problem if the ring couldn't hold him. Both teams wrapped up at the 1 hour 30 minute mark as all members of each team attaching a turnbuckle pad, even Duncan and Heather joining in. As Duncan finished, he looked around and pulled out a bolt cutter, carefully cutting the bolts securing the rope around him and pocketing it before anyone saw him. Duncan spat out the gum in his mouth, using bits of it to make a quick "fix" to hold it in place.

*Gorilla Confessional: Duncan*

Yeah, I'm sabotaging my team. Not like these dorks deserve to win anyway. Whatever elimination comes our way, I'll guarantee that I won't be out of this.

*Field Cam*

Chris stepped into the Grappler ring first, gently leaning against each side of the ropes and bouncing off each one. "Good.. good... good... and good!" Chris said with a smile, doing a few climbs up and getting a stable turnbuckle each time. He slid out the ropes, going up to the Brawler ring but before he could even enter the rope snapped off, nearly hitting him. "Well, Brawlers, looks like your ring's a bust," he said, much to the shock of the team who had put a lot of effort into it. "Next time, try actual bolts and not spearmint to hold the ropes," Chris suggested, showing the chewed-up wad at the end of the rope.

*Gorilla Confessional: Courtney*

Great! Just great! And we were doing so well... somebody is trying to sabotage us, and I think I know who...

*Field Cam*

Chris set down a folding chair in front of a cheap table while Osiris tossed down gym padding around the Grappler ring, where the remaining Brawlers had assembled, Duncan taking his own corner as usual. "Brawlers, tonight you face the ultimate insult," Chis began, mostly to test the outdoor audio set-up he had. "You will be wrestling in the ring made by the opposing team. The match...is a battle royal where the first one thrown out will be going home. The winner gets a special prize: The Golden Ticket which grants the holder immunity next time they or their team is put on the block. Hatchet... ring the bell!" Chris shouted, Osiris hitting the bell to signal the start of the match. The match immediately became both exciting and nerve-wracking. A chance to stay safe even after a loss? That may as well have been a won challenge there. However, just being the first one out would've been a damaging blow to whoever was unfortunate enough. And unfortunately for one teammate, their number was up.

Within seconds, Duncan turned to see the entire team staring him down. Duncan had not endeared himself to his teammates these past few weeks, mostly spending his time either sitting out challenges, tormenting Harold and Zeke or butting heads with Courtney. Even DJ and Geoff, who had mostly been cool with him for a while, had grown tired of his antics. Duncan brought himself to his feet, looking over the assembled crowd of furious Brawlers, taking in a deep breath. He shrugged his shoulders and charged right at Harold, sending him to the floor with a hard right and ready to pound him when the remaining team members enveloped him, pulling the Delinquent away and pummeling him with hard punches and stomps. Courtney, once she got her shots in, focused on helping Harold back to his feet while DJ lifted the battered Duncan and tossed out the ring and onto the padding.

"And Duncan has been eliminated! Looks like you'll be taking the bus back to juvie, dude!" Chris announced as Duncan got in his face, firing off a tirade of obscenities that were quickly bleeped out. He ripped his shirt off, tossing it at Chris and grabbing a spare chair, about to charge the ring before Osiris blocked him, getting into a scuffle while the remaining eight realigned themselves. Harold and Courtney locked up with Katie and Sadie while the unlikely combination of Eva and Ezekiel fought Geoff and DJ.

Katie and Courtney were rather even in terms of body type, making for a solid back and forth match-up, with the two exchanging holds for a good five minutes while Sadie pressed the weight advantage against Harold, tossing him over the top rope and onto the padded floor. Duncan, having lost the chair in the fight with the Hatchet, quickly ran and blasted Harold with his TTE belt, getting him in the head. Courtney, who had just gotten Katie in the ropes, stopped in shock at the sight of this, allowing her opponent to slip away from and team up with her BFF to double-team her and send her over as well, where Duncan primed up a shot and got her in the head as well before being violently grabbed by Osiris and dragged out away, threatening the others to the same fate, a warning that put the others on edge.

The fight resumed with Geoff tossing Ezekiel over while DJ, who had been engaged in a war of strength with Eva, had finally won out and powerbombed her right onto the padding, putting the fears of his back condition to rest. Katie and Sadie turned to their opponents, giving each other a nod and charged right at DJ and Geoff, who quickly sidestepped them and sent them both sailing over the top. Geoff and DJ duked it out for some time before DJ tossed his teammate right out, winning the battle royal, Chris stepped into the ring raise his arm and present him with the Golden Ticket. "Ladies and gentlemen, your winner... DJ!" Chris announced, DJ quickly leaving the ring to check on Harold and Courtney, who were being helped by the other Brawlers.

The camera panned over to Chris as he closed out the show. "Well folks, I can safely say this is has been our most exciting elimination ceremony yet. Tune in next time for the next episode of Totally Tough Enough!" he said as the show went to credits. Viewers who went to the TTE website found a surprise in the form of a video, the first ever TTExtra. The video starts with Chris and a camera man walking up to a bus stop where Duncan was sitting, waiting for the bus to pick him up. "Duncan! What's up man?" Chris said, putting on a friendly smile, but Duncan was having none of it. "Stick it, McLean. I'm finally off your crappy show, so don't bug me," he shot back, glaring at the host. "Well yeah, you were eliminated, but maybe we can bring you back in some. You did say you like to hurt people, right?" Chris asked, offering a hand. Duncan stared at it for a bit, a devilish grin forming on his face as he shook hands with Chris, ending the video.


End file.
